Bonds of Destiny: Chrono Trigger Retold
by Cornettxx
Summary: A story that spans 65 million years. A love that spans the threashold of death. A destiny to change the fate of an entire planet. Join Chrono and his friends as they journey though time on a quest to save their world. A novelization of the game. CH. 3 UP!
1. Teaser

Teaser

_"His was a destiny fraught with danger, a destiny that was cursed to end in tears, and yet, it was the one destiny on the planet that could save the world."_

"Oooohh…" Chrono winced, gripping his side. His vision blurred a bit, but for some reason, his eyes focused in on the ground around him. There was _a lot_ of blood. He winced, looking around. He was confused. Where was he?! Why wasn't he home?! He couldn't remember… He couldn't remember anything… And then he saw one of the creatures holding a small cerulean pendant… A crystalline gem held by a shining golden clasp…

And it all came rushing back. Everything.

_Marle!!_

He glared at the creatures, drawing his sword.

"What do you think you're doing?!" Chrono demanded, despite the pain in his side. "Drop that pendant! It isn't yours!"

"My, my…" One of the creatures stepped into the light, and Chrono blinked at it with surprise… The creature was covered with murky blue scales, all which sloped upwards gently to form a strange lump on the creature's head. It stood only three feet tall, but was somehow frightening in its own way. It wore aged leather armor, intermixed with bits of rust edged metal guards. It's eyes were the part that caught Chrono's attention, however. They were huge, almost bug-like, seeming to reach out of the creature's head towards him. Those eyes swam with red hatred, cold and hateful, Chrono could see his reflection on those huge red domes, framed by a crimson the same color as his blood. The creature's mouth was full of sharp jagged teeth, each easily as sharp as its' spearhead. It had magical runes carved into its armor, wards against the physical strength of humans. This was an imp. Chrono had only seen one once, at the ferry station, but it hadn't been like _this…_ The imp he had seen was the same size, but there was something different… Perhaps bloodlust had caused this simple imp to look less like a Mystic, and more like a demon. The creature grinned a demented grin with its jagged teeth, taking another step forward. The point of its spear caught the sunlight from above, causing Chrono to wince. It sneered at him in its airy, voice, almost hissing. "Why don't you go back to sleep? When you wake up, you'll be far more useful."

The second creature advanced as well, followed by the third. They were all terrifying to the injured Chrono, all of them carrying identical spears.

"Yes, why don't you." The second one urged, licking its reptilian lips. "You're very unique. I've never seen a human like you before."

The first continued to grin, and Chrono began to feel even more nervous. He could feel dread crawling into his mind, filling him with cold horrible fear.

"You'll be a very pretty puppet—so please, lie down and die so we don't have to ruin you." The first imp said it simply, as thought it were something Chrono would actually consider doing. "Master Ozzie will really enjoy a puppet as pretty as you are."

Chrono blinked, the cold horror in his mind giving way to a pressing annoyance. What were these Mystics doing, anyway? If they hurt him, then Guardia would wage war against Medina, and he _knew_ that they _had_ to know that.

"What do you mean, _puppet?!" _He exclaimed, narrowing his eyes. "And do you want to start a war again?! You aren't allowed to hurt humans! Especially here in Guardia, of all places!"

"You must have hit your head." Said the first imp, seeming surprised. "That's sad. You've forgotten, haven't you? We _are_ at war. You belong to us now."

The second nodded, smiling crookedly.

"Forget about ever seeing humans again, child." It said simply. "You're going to go to sleep here for just a little while… And then when you wake up…" The creature laughed, sounding crazed. Chrono backed away instinctively, the horror returning to him. "…you'll be Master Ozzie's puppet!" The creature finished with a cruel laugh.

The third leapt up and down, cackling as well.

"You'll fight the humans for us!" It exclaimed. "You'll help us paint Guardia castle red with the blood of your brothers!"

Chrono blinked, trying to ignore the fact that they were all looking at him with that bloodlust again. He couldn't ignore the last comment, however.

_"What?!"_ He shook his head in disbelief, realizing just how far away from home that portal had taken him. He glared at the imps, again feeling annoyed. He wouldn't let them psyche him out. "Look, I don't know where I've ended up, but if you don't shut up and drop that pendant, I'll—" He stopped short when he saw one of the imps leaping towards him, brandishing the spear with great skill. Chrono tried to dodge, but the imp was faster. It plunged the spear into Chrono's back, sending the boy stumbling to the ground. Chrono coughed, trying to fight the pain. His vision flashed red. He could feel the blood running down his back, and when he looked back at the imp, he saw that the spearhead had broken off. Chrono realized that it was jammed in his upper back, but he made no effort to remove it. He struggled to get to his feet, stumbling weakly. Chrono's eyes watered, and he looked at the imps horrified, feeling dizzy with pain.

"Poor little creature." The imp said mockingly, walking up to Chrono. The second and third joined it, circling him like a pair of vultures.

"Yes, poor thing." The third said cruelly. It grinned at him, jabbing him in the leg with its spear. "You're just going to lose so much blood that you'll _have_ to sleep."

"Don't you feel tired, little child?" The second said with a snicker. "Don't you want to sleep?"

Chrono bowed his head, feeling sick and even dizzier. He looked back to the imps, his vision blurring badly. The imps laughed at him as he stumbled back again, struggling to bring his sword up. He tried to focus on the imps, tried hold his sword steady, but it was no use. He felt thirsty and tired. Suddenly, Chrono realized something with cold dread.

He was going to die. He knew it now, and he felt his eyes water again at the thought.

His first real fight, and he was going to die.


	2. Prelude

"Bonds of Destiny"

"To all those who wish to challenge Destiny"

Prelude 

NOVEMBER 16, 999

The golden sun rose triumphantly over the Northern Mountains, flooding the room with glorious warm light. There was a great deal of cold thick ice caked on the window, and the sun passing through this cast curious designs on the floorboards, sending rainbows scattering about the room almost like a series of tiny faeries caught in a swift gale. It was unusual for the ice to be so thick in the fall, in fact, true winter wouldn't arrive for about another month—but Mother Nature is very fickle about keeping to schedules. She showed that on mornings like this one, allowing the snowflakes to play early games in the cold breezes of morning, before watching them parish in the yellow heat of the afternoon. Those snowflakes that survived the dance to the ground would join their brethren in weaving a carpet of endless white across the countryside, part of a never ending war with humanity. Humans were what got in the way of nature. It was never the other way around. Humans had pushed into the northern extremes of the western continent, and Mother Nature made sure to remind them of their places every fall and winter. But humans built houses to escape her. Warm, happy little places, where children slept warm in their beds, and lovers whispered poems to each other in the heated darkness. Houses held memories within their walls, bearing silent witness to the growth of the inhabitants who had brought them into being. This room had witnessed many things, and overall it was a cozy one—warm and quite lived in. It was apparently the room of a child, littered with toys and models, papers and schoolbooks. But, strangely enough, the youth that slumbered in that room's warm bed was not exactly a child. Instead, he was a boy who stood at the threshold of manhood, but a boy who lingered at the door, afraid to go on. A boy whose future was sealed, whose childhood _would_ end, no matter how hard he fought it. For him, as with any child afraid to leave the nest, life was not easy. He was scorned by his classmates, and labeled for life as an undesirable. So was the cruelty of children, to blacklist one of their own for subtitle differences. Yet it happened far too often. This boy only had one true friend in the world, but, like many in his position, he didn't care. Though he lacked the acceptance of his peers, he _was_ happy, at least most of the time.

The sun's rays gently began to sweep over the bed, illuminating his winter-paled face, gently caressing him with the warm light of morning. He resisted it, however—squinting against the light as it assaulted his eyes. Even if his eyes were closed, he still could _see_ the light, and any degree of light could pull him out of the deepest sleep. He moaned in protest, but finally gave in. After all, he couldn't defeat the march of daylight—and he _had_ forgotten to close his shades again. The boy slowly gave into the instinct to open his eyes to this new day, squinting unhappily. The sun was entirely too bright. He pulled the sheets over his face, but it was no use—he didn't like sleeping with covers over his nose either—it made him want to sneeze. He tossed the sheets off in defeat, rolling his entire body out onto the wooden floor. It was freezing! He leapt back onto his feet, gingerly stepping into some slippers. He stood there shivering for a moment, glaring at the window. He pulled the shades closed, and moaned to himself the line he moaned every morning at this time.

"It's TOO early…"

But that was the way it was, and it would never change. The sun was his alarm clock. Without it, he'd never wake up, for he simply enjoyed sleeping too much. He reluctantly pulled his nightshirt off, shivering unhappily. It was the symptom of him not getting enough sleep—often it would make him suffer from a mean case of the chills. He roughly pulled his closet open, and quickly selected a sweater and a pair of heavy pants. He changed quickly, and turned to his mirror. His unruly hair was sticking up every which way as usual—and he'd given up on trying to tame it. He simply tied a headband around his forehead to keep it out of his eyes.

He didn't consider himself bad looking—he was of average height, and was actually a bit toned due to his training. His features were full of the glow of youth, his cheeks still puffed out slightly, giving him a bit of a baby face. His face was smooth, for he still lacked the ability to grow a beard, and he was free of acne. His cheekbones were set high in his face, and when the boy smiled, the corners of his mouth gave way to childish dimples. His face was pale now, due to the cloudiness of autumn. The boy's face was framed by a mass of spiky red hair. He had often wondered if his unruly hair was what people found so undesirable. His friend Lucca had always liked his hair, though, telling him that when he went out in the sun it appeared to be as brilliant as fire… Something that made Chrono feel strange to think about. Since he was a child, he had feared fire… But that was ancient history now. Of all his features, however, his greatest had to be his eyes. They were huge and bright, and they shone a sparkling crystalline blue—a blue so intense that they seemed to light up his entire face. His pupils were ringed with flecks of gold, like autumn leaves in a still pond. These were not the typical eyes of a Guardian—no, his father had been from Porre, down south, where blue eyes like his were commonplace. It was from his father that the boy got most of his features, though his mother was constantly insisting that he had her face.

He was forever cheerful, always wearing a grin, or a smirk, or a smile of some variety, at least around people. When he was alone, he was often lost in thought, trying to find ways to ease stop the torment coming from his classmates. He was a friendly, somewhat outgoing boy, despite the constant teasing that he endured day in day out from the other. But then again, when he thought about it, a lot of that teasing came from his best and only friend, Lucca. She was constantly on him about _something_. But generally her comments were about his intelligence, which, as he had been notified by Lucca many times, was not quite up to par.

He sighed, looking at his reflection unhappily. His training wasn't going as well as he would have liked either. There were more than a few boys in the village that he had been jumped and beaten up by. He _wished_ that he could be stronger, but for some reason, he just couldn't push himself any further. He sighed, looking down towards the picture on his bureau. There, he looked into his father's face—powerful, happy, and handsome. It was everything that the boy wanted to be, but it seemed that fate wouldn't allow it. He was an awkward youth, plagued with endless bad hair days, and a goofy disposition.

The boy frowned, turning away. It was getting late, and he really needed to hurry. As if to confirm his guess, he heard a shout downstairs.

"Chrono!! Are you up yet?! You're going to be late! Lucca is here, waiting for you!"

Chrono sighed, turning around unhappily.

"Coming mom!!!" He sighed, looking back at his face in the mirror for a moment. He smirked at himself for a moment, but found that even with the same expression his father had in the picture, Chrono still looked the same—young and weak. He finally managed to pull himself from the mirror, turning and hurrying downstairs. His mother was waiting for him, and she wasted no time bombarding him with several berry muffins for breakfast, his lunch money, a fur jacket, rather old scarf, and a knitted hat, as well as all of his books. When it was all over, Chrono was a teetering pile of school supplies and wraps. He stumbled outside, stopping to put on his boots. His mother scowled at his slowness and shooed him outside with her broom, shouting at him.

"Why can't you ever get up on time?! You're going to be late! Do you want to stay after school _again?!_"

Chrono moaned, shaking his head as he tied the laces on his boots.

"No…"

"Then you need to hurry!! Quick!" She whapped him with her broom again, as he stumbled into his boots. He nearly fell outside into the snow—and he would have too, if Lucca hadn't been there. He fell into her, dropped all of his supplies, and _then_ fell backwards into the snow. He moaned, standing up unhappily. Lucca let out a long sigh, fixing her glasses. She often did this when agitated by something.

Lucca was teased as much by the other kids as Chrono was. She was a _genius_, and would probably some day be world-renowned. She was a short little thing, quite frail looking actually. She was skinny, and actually fairly pale year-round. She wasn't quite fond of the great outdoors. She had shoulder-length violet hair that she always wore parted in the middle. Her face was rather plain; most of it, in fact was hidden behind her thick glasses. She had blue eyes, but they weren't as bright as Chrono's. Despite her physical faults, she was a beauty mentally, and to Chrono, that was where it counted.

"It's the last day before winter break, and you _still_ got up late?" She remarked, her voice laced with criticism.

Chrono glared at her as he struggled to gather his things.

"I'm not running _late_." He said pointedly. "I got up when I always do. Well, okay, I'm a _little_ late today, but not by much!"

Lucca sighed shaking her head at him.

"Yes, but on your schedule we need every second!" Lucca sounded exasperated. "Now we're gonna have to stay after again!" Chrono stood up, all of his school things finally gathered. Lucca groaned unhappily. "I'm never going to get a first class education if you can't start getting up earlier."

Chrono flashed her a grin as they began walking down the icy path.

"Why do you wait for me everyday then?" He inquired, raising a brow at her.

"Because," Lucca said, grinning back at him. "If I didn't wait for you each day, who's telling how late you'd get to school! I'm doing this for your own good."

Chrono laughed and walked ahead a bit. He turned around and walked backwards, facing Lucca. His youthful face seemed unusually cheerful.

"So are you excited about the fair? I've already planned out what I'm gonna buy there!"

Lucca raised an eyebrow.

"Already? Chrono, the fair isn't for a month and a half."

Chrono nodded, quite aware of how long he had to wait.

"I know. But I heard that Melchoir, the great _toukenshou_ is gonna be there. I've _got_ to get a sword from him!"

"Aww, come on, Chrono!" Lucca exclaimed, nudging her glasses again. "You can barely use your wooden training sword! Are you sure you're ready for the real thing? Besides, your mom is really hurting money wise."

Chrono scowled at her.

"You think I haven't noticed?! We've had cabbage four times this week! She lost her job at the inn." Chrono sighed, shaking his head. "Laid off. People just don't come to Truce anymore."

Lucca grinned reassuringly.

"Wait 'till the fair. Once that happens, your mom will find work. But how are you gonna save money?"

Chrono grinned, winking a bit.

"I've _been_ saving. Mom won't send me to school without money for lunch, so I just hold onto it. I've got a bit of gold saved up."

Lucca stopped in her tracks, going wide-eyed.

"Chrono… Showing _initiative?!_" She dashed up to him, whipping out a small notebook. "WOW! I've gotta document this!" Chrono sighed.

"You make it sound like I don't have common sense." He grinned. "I do, ya know. Gimme some credit, every now and then, okay, Lucca?"

Lucca smiled at him, letting him pass her.

"Yeah, I know you do… Sorry, I seem so mean sometimes." She sighed, putting the notebook away. She gazed at Chrono for a moment, watching him walk ahead of her. "It's _my_ common sense I wonder about sometimes…" She whispered softly to herself, her voice far away. Chrono suddenly turned around, his eyes narrowed.

"Hey! Why did you stop!" He exclaimed. "We're late, remember!

What about your first rate education?"

Lucca blinked, coming to her senses.

"Oh. Y-yeah. Okay, coming!"


	3. The Millennial Fair, Chrono makes a frie...

CHAPTER 1:

The Millennial Fair;

Chrono makes a friend!

January 1st, 1000

Chrono moaned as he struggled to sleep in the inky blackness of night. It was late, he was _so_ tired, but he was just too excited about the next day that he couldn't seem to keep his eyes closed. He kept picturing his shiny new sword, wondering what kind he was going to be able to afford. He _had_ saved a lot of money since his first talk with Lucca a month and a half earlier. He'd ended up with 200G, which he figured would be more than enough to buy a nice blade. Of course, he had to loan the money to his mother earlier that month for groceries, but the inn had rehired her to help deal with the coming crowds, just as Lucca had predicted. She had promised Chrono that he'd get his money back, just in time for the fair. Every time he managed to doze off he could see himself wielding a new shiny metal blade, crafted by the man who was known the world over for being the greatest of all the _toukenshou_. It was going to be great. He'd finally be able to go out into the mountains and fight the creatures there to train instead of staying home and hitting some dummy. He got up many times during the night to get a glass of water, or to stare at the mantle that he'd made for his sword. He'd polished it himself and everything—making it worthy for a sword of the caliber he'd be getting. Finally, he managed to fall asleep some time in the early morning, his stomach churning with excitement. Almost as soon as he closed his eyes he was whisked into a dream, a dream in which he held a glorious blade that glittered with every color of the rainbow. _Kaitou Niji__…_ Chrono heard himself whisper it softly. _A Sword of Rainbows…_ His dream was cut into by a sudden shaking, accompanied by a soft voice…

"Chrono! Wake up, Chrono!"

Chrono moaned in protest as he was hit with a sudden blast of sunlight. His mother had opened the curtains, flooding the room with brilliant light. His light reflex kicked in immediately and he whipped the covers over his head.

"Leene's Bell sounds so beautiful!" His mother's voice rang out over the sound of the bells. Chrono moaned, exhausted.

"…noisy… …bright… Mmph…" Chrono mumbled into his quilt, rapidly loosing consciousness.

"You were so excited about the fair that you didn't sleep well, did you?" His mother walked back to his bed, pulling the covers off of his head.      

Chrono moaned again, yawning.

"Mooom…"

Chrono's mother placed her hands on her hips, giving him a critical look.

"You've been talking about this fair for months now!" She exclaimed. "Are you telling me that you don't want to go?"

_That_ woke him up. Chrono all but shot out of the bed, suddenly very much alert.

"Mom!! Oh man, I've gotta go! What time is it—oh man!" Chrono ran to the closet, pulling out a random outfit. "Go on, mom!! I gotta get dressed!!"

His mother sighed, shaking her head.

"My, aren't you antsy." She left the room, the cat at her heels. No sooner had she stepped out then Chrono slammed the door shut, leaping out of his pajamas. He looked at the outfit he'd picked, seeing that it was a simple blue tunic, and a pair of baggy pants. He pulled the clothes on, and hastily buckled his belt. He grabbed his wooden sword, and pulled on his boots. He quickly put his headband on, sweeping his spiky hair back. He then dashed to the door, throwing it open. His mother stood at the foot of the stairs, looking up at him expectantly.

"You friend dropped by. Which one was it… Oh yes, Lucca."

"She's my _only_ friend, mom." Chrono said pointedly.

"Well… Alright. Anyway, she said that she wants you to stop by her exhibit today."

Chrono nodded.

"That's right. She finally got the telepod to stop blowing things up." He winced at the memory—he'd never seen Miss Lara so mad. "She wouldn't let me see it transport anything _successfully_ until the fair."

"You be good today. For the love of God…" His mother said, glaring at him. "Be good." 

Chrono rolled his eyes.

"Mom, c'mon. I told you I didn't _mean_ to set the school on fire! It was to test Lucca's fire extinguishing gun!" He laughed nervously. "It would have been fine… If the gun had _worked._" 

His mother placed her hands on her hips, glaring at him.

"Yes. How convenient this whole thing happened a week before you had to go back to school. I guess that having an extra month off wasn't part of your inspiration?" 

Chrono shook his head, pushing past his mother into the kitchen.

"Nope. Didn't even cross my mind." He opened the refrigerator, withdrawing the milk carton. He was about to take a swig when his mother walked up to him, snatching the milk carton away.

"Chrono! Honestly! We're not animals, use a glass!" 

Chrono hovered behind her, trying to take the milk carton back.

"But mom, if I dirty a glass…" He said, grinning at her slightly. "…then you have to wash it…"

His mother smirked at him, pouring him a glass of milk. She turned to the oven, starting some gravy boiling. She turned back to Chrono for a moment.

"You can wash it." She said, pushing the glass into his hands. She turned back to her cooking. Chrono groaned.

"Mooooom… That's girl's work…" 

His mother glared at him over her shoulder.

"And I suppose changing the cat box is too? You're not leaving this house until you do that too. That cat has been eyeing the corner lately. If she goes back there, it's out! Understand?"

Chrono grinned, looking down at his feet. The little orange ball of fluff was always there, hovering around him meowing. He smiled, kneeling down to pet the cat.

"Aw, she wouldn't do that…" He said, smiling fondly at his cat. He bent the glass a bit so the cat could lick up a bit of milk. His mother smacked his head with her spatula in disgust.

"OW! Ew—mom!! You got gravy in my hair!"

"Serves you right, Chrono! Don't give the cat your milk! Sit at the table!" She turned to the sink, washing the spatula off.

Chrono groaned, standing. He walked to the table, selected his favorite chair, and plopped down. He put the glass down messily, spilling a bit on the table while his mother's back was turned to her cooking. Silently, he picked the cat up, putting her on the table, allowing her to drink the milk that spilled. When his mother finished cooking, Chrono swiftly swept the cat off of the table before his mother noticed. He smiled at her innocently as she dropped a plate of biscuits and gravy in front of him. Chrono smiled.

"Oooo. Porre food." He said before he commenced shoveling. His mother watched him fondly, her eyes vacant of a moment. She walked up to him, running her hand through his unruly hair. She smiled sadly down at him.

"My little boy… You're just like your father… He was a Hell-raiser too, at your age…" Chrono looked up at her, his cheeks puffed up with food. He spoke with his mouth full, loosing little bits of biscuits from his mouth when he did.

"Wheawy?" He swallowed heavily, taking a long chug from his milk. "Dad was like me?"

His mother nodded, smiling.

"Yes. He used to paint his name everywhere. He got caught one time and the king ordered that he clean Leene's Bell with a toothbrush." Chrono laughed.

"With a_ toothbrush?!_" He took another big bite of his breakfast. "'ow 'e 'anage 'at?" Chrono's mother gave him a light smack to the back of the head.

"Don't talk with your mouth full, Chrono. Someday, you're going to have a wife someday, and you can't eat like a cow when you do!"

Chrono laughed, taking a final swig from his milk, finishing it off.

"She'll love me for me, not for my table manners."

His mother let out a sigh.

"We women don't find it sexy when a man eats like he lives in a barn." She ruffled his hair, and Chrono scowled.

"Mom!"

"No, I'm serious. Whenever your father ate nicely, it made me want to—"

"MOM! Ew! Don't tell me these things!" Chrono scowled up at her, his eyes narrowed. His mother laughed.

"What? Does it bother you? You know how you got here, right? Or do I need to explain it to you again?"

"God, NO!" Chrono exclaimed. "I've been scarred since you told me back when I was eight!!!" He stood up, showing her his empty plate. 

"Clean-plate-club. I get a brownie."

His mother sighed, opening the oven. She retrieved a baking sheet full of brownies.

"You'll get fat if you keep eating these things." She said, cutting one free from the sheet. She placed it on a plate. "You're already looking chubby."

Chrono grinned.

"Nah, that's muscle. Gimme the brownie." His mother surrendered it, and Chrono ate it in two bites. He smiled happily. "Mmm. I'm full. That was great, mom!"

His mother smiled.

"I'd hope so. I swear, Chrono. You're eating me out of house and home!" She smiled, reaching into her apron. She withdrew a pouch which she then tossed to him. "Here's your allowance back. Thank you for letting me borrow it, sweetie."

Chrono nodded.

"Thank YOU for giving it back!" He smiled, grinning broadly. "Now I can get my sword!" He waved to his mother, dashing towards the door. His mother suddenly let out a shout.

"Wait right here, mister! You forgot the catbox!"

Chrono turned around, pouting.

"Aww… Mooooom…" He whined unhappily. "What if I get there too late, and he's sold out…? Can't I do it tonight?"

His mom hesitated, then sighed.

"Okay. I suppose I'll let you off today. Just make sure you do it tonight!" 

Chrono smiled happily.

"Yeah! Thanks mom!" He laughed, running out the door. His mother waved to him.

"Be good, honey! Be back by supper!!"

"I will!!!" Came the answer as Chrono vanished down the hill. His mother sighed, leaning against the doorframe.

"That boy… I wonder if he'll _ever_ grow up."

***********

Chrono stared wide-eyed at the splendor of the Millennial Fair. Balloons, games, candy, vendors…

It was a great day for a fair. Mother Nature had blessed the people of Guardia with an early spring this year, perhaps making up for the early winter. The air was brisk, but everything was green and blooming. It was a great day to be outside.

He'd been lucky on the way over too. He'd found 50g in front of his neighbor's house, and he _had _thought about returning it… But… Finder's keepers.

The fair was every bit as wonderful as he'd imagined. Immediately, he set out to find Melchoir, on his mission to gain a real sword. The stocky man stood next to a small tent, and at first Chrono didn't recognize him. He asked several dealers until finally one of them pointed out the famous _toukenshou_ to him. Chrono immediately ran to the famous man, looking at the swords he'd brought with him. There were only two: A simple steel sword (or at least, Chrono _thought_ it was steel), and a blue sword that sparkled with an odd glow. He _wanted_ that blue sword. He smiled at Melchoir, waving happily.

"Hello, are you Melchoir?"

The old man regarded Chrono, fixing the dark glasses that rested on his nose. He had a long white beard as well, and wore a long robe. He smiled, holding out his hand.

"Ah, yes, my boy! You are quite an impressive young man! You look as though you have quite a talent with blades!"

Chrono blinked with surprise.

"You can tell all that by looking at me?"

Melchoir smiled, adjusting his glasses again.

"When you have seen as many warriors as I have, you learn to read people quickly. You're here for a weapon, right? Such a shame… Even in these relatively peaceful times boys are still taking up arms…" He turned around, picking up each of the blades. He held them out to Chrono. "I only brought these two, because not many people are interested in weapons these days. This one…" He held out the metal sword. "This is a simple steel sword. It's cheap, and easy to use. Good for beginners. And this…" He held out the blue sword, smiling. "This is a Lode Sword. It draws upon elemental power to become sharper. This is a bit more… Expensive."

"How much?!" Chrono could barely contain his excitement. _Elemental power!_ He thought, his eyes wide with anticipation. _Wow! I've GOT to have that!!!_

"2000 gold." Melchoir rolled the total off of his tongue, crushing Chrono's hopes. He eyed the other sword, and wondered if he should even ask.

"How much is the other one…?" He winced, dreading the answer.

"300." Melchoir replied. Chrono let out a distraught cry. The boy hung his head, holding out his pouch.

"I've only got 250…" He whimpered unhappily. Melchoir sighed, putting the Lode Sword back.

"I'll tell you what." The old man said, smiling. "I'll give you this steel sword for 200. You DID come to me first… So… Here." He handed Chrono the sword. Chrono took it, and gasped as he looked at the hilt. Melchoir's name and insignia were carved on it. Immediately his excitement peaked again.

"Thank you! This'll be great for me to practice with!" Melchoir nodded.

"Just put it to good use." He took the gold from Chrono and smiled, giving back his change. "Become a great swordsman, and keep your good spirit about you. You're a pure one."

Chrono wasn't sure what Melchoir had been talking about, but he didn't really put much thought into it. He walked absentmindedly holding the sword in his hands, sheath and all. He ran his finger over the insignia, and smiled, feeling as though it was a mission success. He'd have liked to have had the Lode Sword, but only two people were going to get swords from Melchoir at this fair—and he was one of them. He kept walking, his eyes on the hilt, when suddenly something collided with him hard on his right side.  He was sent flying, right into the ground. He sword clattered away from the whole mess. Chrono winced as he sat up, and he glared towards whoever it was that had sent him falling onto his ass.

But he stopped glaring when he saw _her_…

The girl sat up, sweeping her long blond ponytail over her shoulder. 

She was gorgeous! She had a slender figure, and wore a light whitish-green pantsuit that looked great on her. She looked towards Chrono, and their eyes met. When that happened, time stopped for Chrono. He looked into her bright happy eyes, was caught by her pink cheeks and red lips, and felt a blush rise in his own cheeks. A crossbow had clattered to the ground next to her, and Chrono noticed that it looked rather expensive and fancy. The girl picked it up, placing it into a sheath on her hip. She then stood up, looking around confused. She was framed in sunlight, her blond hair glowing. To Chrono, she looked like an angel… Strangely, Leene's Bell began ringing. The girl turned to Chrono, but as she did, her hand brushed her neck. The girl's eyes went wide, and the bell stopped.

"Oh no!"

Chrono blinked at her, standing up. He walked to her.

"Are you oka—WAH!" The girl pushed past him, sending him falling back onto his backside. He winced sitting up, but he realized his hand had landed on something. He picked it up, looking at it. It was a beautiful blue pendant, held by a golden clasp. He blinked at it, and then held it out to the girl.

"Is this it?"

She turned around, her green eyes going wide with surprise.

"Oh! You found it!" She smiled, walking up to him. "May I have it back?"

Chrono laughed.

"Of course! I wouldn't keep it from you." He handed it to her, and she wasted no time putting it on. She smiled at him, relief shining on her young face.

"Thank you…" She touched the gem, smiling. "This is a family heirloom, and I never would have forgiven myself if I'd lost it…" 

Chrono smiled.

"No problem. Why were you in such a hurry?"

The girl smiled, her eyes glimmering.

"Oh, I'm just excited." She laughed. "I'm not from around here, you see, so everything's new to me! This town is really pretty!"

Chrono scoffed.

"You just say that 'cause you don't live here." 

The girl smiled at him again. Chrono noticed that she looked very pretty when she smiled.

"Do you live in this town?"

Chrono nodded.

"Yeah. It's not that great."

"Could you… Maybe show me around?"

Chrono grinned.

"Sure! Later on, we'll have to go see my friend Lucca, though."

"That's fine!" The girl said, her cheerful smile never dimming. "I'm Marle. What's your name?"

Chrono smiled.

"Chrono."

Marle blinked at him, touching her pendant.

"Chrono… That's a pretty name." 

Chrono laughed.

"It kinda sucks, though. I can't autograph any of my mischief because everyone knows who "Chrono" is."

Marle giggled softly.

"Well, believe me, your name isn't near as troublesome as mine."

"Why would Marle be troublesome?" 

Marle shook her head.

"It's a family thing."

"Oh." Chrono smiled at her, gesturing about them. "So what do you wanna see first?"

Marle laughed.

"Everything!"

Chrono nodded.

"Okay. Let's see what this place has to offer!!!" The two of them laughed and took off running playfully towards the army of tents.


	4. Transfer Error! The Journey begins!

Chapter 2

Transfer Error! The Journey begins!

"So, what do you want to do first?" Chrono beamed at his new friend. The two walked through the crowded square, looking happily at all the attractions. The fair was a feast for the senses, like something out of a dream. The tents were of all colors of the rainbow; there were flags and banners and streamers, all centered around the fountain at the southern end of the square. The air smelled of caramel apples and freshly popped corn, everything seeming sweet and filled with the happiness of the celebration. Musicians played happy upbeat music to contrast with the constant droning of people's voices. Marle's eyes were filled with the heavenly wonders of it, her mouth curled upwards in a constant smile. When Chrono spoke to her, she happily grinned back at him, her eyes bright.

"Oh, I don't know…" Marle folded her slender arms behind her head, staring up at the blue sky. "What do you suggest?" She asked, looking back at him.

Chrono had to think about that for a second.

"Um… Well, lets see." He stopped walking, looking around. He spotted a sign, listing the attractions at the fair. "Oh, over here, Marle." He pointed towards the sign, and the two approached it. Chrono read it, and frowned.  "We're gonna have to earn Silver Points before we can do anything…"

Marle smiled at the list of games.

"There are a lot of games, Chrono." She remarked, nodding to the list. "We shouldn't have a problem winning points."

 Chrono scanned the list, and his eyes met an opportunity. He smiled happily.

"Listen to this, Marle!" He exclaimed. "Win 20 Silver Points! All you need is to win this drinking contest!" 

Marle raised a brow.

"…a drinking contest…? You mean, like beer?"

"Sure!" Chrono smiled, reassuringly. "It's no problem. I can hold anything. It's perfect! Come on!" Chrono turned and dashed to the northern section of the fair. Marle sighed, reluctantly following. 

The drinking contest was held at a small booth that was tucked away from the hustle and bustle of the rest of the fair. It was a modest looking game, with only a small table surrounded by a few stools. A few beer cans were scattered about the table. Chrono swaggered up to the booth, sitting down on one of the stools. The man in charge grinned broadly at Chrono.

"Here to try your luck?" He winked. "Or just to get a bit tipsy?"

Chrono smiled confidently.

"Aw, I can hold anything." He said with a competitive tone. "What's the game?" 

The man smiled, opening a cooler next to him.

"Simple enough. Just drink ten cans of this stuff before I call time." He withdrew something from the cooler, and held it out. It was a can. Marle blinked at it.

"What is that?" She asked, confused.

The man smiled.

"It's Chorus's finest beer! But…" He grinned, scratching his head. "For all intensive purposes, just think of it as a spicy soda that gets you drunk!"

Marle wrinkled her nose.

"Ew… Chrono, I don't think…"

But Chrono was already opening the first can. He smiled, tipping the can to Marle.

"Watch this, Marle! Here I go!!!" Chrono winked at her, and began chugging. Marle sighed.

"Oh well." She shook her head. "If it'll really make you happy…"

It did make Chrono happy. He managed to fly through nine cans—just short of the ten he needed to win. The man called time just as Chrono reached for can number ten, applauding the now red-in-the-face boy. It was disappointing to Chrono to have to lose, so he wished to try again. This time, however, Marle was able to stop him. Chrono grinned at her as she led him from the booth, feeling a bit tipsy.

"So…" He grinned widely. "Whaddya wanna do now?"

Marle giggled, despite her obvious distress over his drunkenness.

"You're really competitive, aren't you, Chrono?"

"Yep." Chrono said, nodding. He stumbled a bit, having nodded too quickly. "I'm really dizzy right now, too. But I don't care."

Marle's smile became a very warm one.

"Okay then, how about we check out the battle robot?" She suggested, nodding in the direction of the battle arena. "I saw a sign for it while you were chugging."

Chrono nodded, beginning to head towards the arena. Marle followed him.

"Oh yeah. Gato." He replied. "My friend Lucca made him. He beat the snot out of me one time when he malfunctioned. She had him set on 'beat down'…"

Marle giggled again.

"Maybe it isn't a good idea then." She said, her voice full of her laughter. "I mean, you _are_ dizzy. I don't know if you could survive a beat down."

Chrono shook his head, smiling.

"It'll be okay." He said reassuringly. "She promised she wouldn't set the difficulty too high." He laughed, stopping to look at a caramel apple stand. "Besides, I'd like to see it work right for once. Maybe later, though." He smiled to the vender, pointing at the apples. "Two please." The vender smiled.

"Sure." He said, handing Chrono two of the caramel apples. Chrono handed the vender some money, and gave one of the apples to Marle. She blinked at it.

"What is this?"

"Caramel apple." Chrono replied, chewing on the sweet caramel. "They're big at fairs. You've never seen one?"

"Nope!" Marle smiled down at it, but her eyes appeared confused. "Are they good?"

Chrono didn't answer, for he was already digging into his, and his face was smeared with caramel.

"Yum… …" He moaned happily. 

Marle laughed.

"I'll take that as a yes!" She took a big bite of the apple, but it got stuck in her mouth. It took a little doing, but she managed eventually to get the hang of it. By the time both apples were finished, Chrono and Marle were a caramel mess. The two sat on a bench laughing at each other's caramel smeared faces.

"I'll go get a towel or something." Chrono offered through his laughter. He got up, in search of a towel. People blinked at his carmelly face when he passed by, but he didn't care. Chrono felt on top of the world—totally free of his usual worries. He found a few towels near the fountain, and decided to put them to good use. He dipped them in the fountain, and wasted no time in returning to Marle. He grinned at her.

"Mission accomplished." He beamed, tossing her a towel. Marle giggled as it splashed her with droplets of water. Chrono washed his face sloppily. When he finished, he looked up to Marle, who daintily washed her face with her towel. She finished, looking at him with her big eyes, smiling.

"Thanks." She smiled happily. "Those apples were great too. One thing, though… Where'd you get the towels?" Marle set hers down on the bench. 

Chrono shrugged.

"They were just sitting there. I figured that it was probably okay."

Marle looked down at her towel thoughtfully.

"Oh, gee. I hope no one needed them."

"That's their problem." Chrono tossed his onto the bench. "You shouldn't leave stuff just laying there. And it's not like we're _keeping _ them."

"I suppose you're right." Marle smiled. "So what's next?"

Chrono pondered.

"Let's go check out Gato alright, Marle?"

"Okay." The girl agreed.

Chrono smiled, stretching. But then, he heard a sniffling behind him. He blinked, turning to face the sound. At first, he didn't see anyone. But then, as he looked down, he beheld a small child—a little girl—looking up at him with impossibly huge brown eyes. Tears ran down her cheeks as she hiccupped and sobbed.

"Have you seen my kitty?" The question was watery with her tears, and Chrono knelt down so he could be eye to eye with the tiny creature.

"No… But I'll keep an eye out, alright?" Chrono smiled reassuringly. "What's it look like?"

"She's an orange tabby cat…" The girl paused. "I really hope she's okay…" She sniffled, and Chrono patted her on the head.

"Don't worry." He said cheerfully. "If I find her, I'll bring her right here, okay?"

The girl nodded slowly, looking a little better. Chrono stood up, turning back to Marle. She was studying him, her eyes far away.

"What?" Chrono asked, a little creeped out by her far-away expression.

Marle shook her head, looking at him. Her eyes returned to normal, and she smiled.

"You're really sweet, you know that, Chrono?"

Chrono laughed, nervously scratching his head. He felt a blush coming on.

"You sure?" He grinned at her, surprised. "A lot of people tell me otherwise."

"No…" Marle said softly. She smiled up at him. "I'm sure."

The started off again, heading towards Gato's arena. As the two passed under Leene's bell, Chrono looked up at it, smiling as it shone triumphantly in the sunlight. He liked that bell. He always had, even though it was a pain in the morning. He looked back to Marle, into her beautiful face, and felt his face grow a bit hot. He really liked being with her. He was still in semi-shock about such a pretty girl even _talking_ to him, let alone hanging out with him. He wondered where she was from, but figured he'd ask that later. 

Chrono sighed as they passed booth after booth, looking at all of the colorful decorations. He passed the area of the square where he often ate lunch, and to his surprise, a little bundle of food was sitting there. It was his lunchbox—at least, it _looked_ like his lunchbox. And… He _was_ hungry. He grinned, looking down at it.

"Mom must have left me my lunch here. That's weird, I didn't see her." He shrugged, looking down at the food. He picked up a set of chopsticks from within the lunchbox. "Oh well! Bon appetite, I always say!" He began wolfing down the food happily. 

Marle looked down at the lunch inquisitively.

"Um… Chrono…" She said softly. "Are you _sure_ you should eat that?"

Chrono nodded, answering between gulps.

"Uh huh. Sure. Yep. Mmmm…" He finished, setting down the chopsticks. "Mom never made that before! It was so good!" He looked back to Marle, and laughed softly. "Sorry… I should have offered you some. You see, when I see food… I uh, my stomach becomes my brain."

"That's okay!" Marle giggled, obviously forgetting her earlier worries. "I'm just happy you enjoyed it. Shall we go?"

"Yeah!" He hopped up, holding his hands towards the sky. "I'm all psyched up now!"

Marle giggled again.

"Are you sure that's not the alcohol?"

"Nope! I'm not sure!" Chrono laughed, grabbing her hand. He dragged her to the arena, and held out a hand towards the huge robot in the center. "There he is—Gato, Lucca's first SUCCESSFUL robot-machine-thing!"

Marle blinked up at it.

"Is it on?" She slowly approached the robot, tapping it with her crossbow. "It doesn't seem to be—"

"HELLOOOO POTENTIAL FIGHTERS!!!!" A loud voice boomed through the arena as Gato sprung to life, waving its arms. Marle screamed, dashing back behind Chrono. "MY NAME IS GATO, I LOVE TO BATTLE: YOU'VE BEEN GIVEN A CHOICE, WIN AND GAIN 15 SILVER POINTS!"

Chrono blinked, laughing.

"She changed the rhyme. Oh well." He reached to draw his new sword, but to his horror… It wasn't there! Chrono winced. "Damn!!! I must have left it at the bell! Awww… Damn—this is gonna hurt!" He looked up just in time to see a huge punching glove flying towards him. Chrono winced, getting ready for the impact, but suddenly, an arrow flew at the glove, knocking it aside. Another arrow followed through, hitting the robot in the head. Another volley was released, and the robot yielded the battle. A 15 point silver coin was awarded to Chrono, who stood up bewildered. He turned behind him, to see who it was that had saved him from a serious beating. To his surprise, Marle stood there, her crossbow in hand. He smiled at her. "Thanks."

"No problem." She clipped the crossbow back into its holster. "Let's get back to the bell and get your sword, okay?"

Chrono nodded, feeling sick. He dashed out of the arena and back to the bell with Marle just behind him. When he reached it, Chrono felt his heart sink. It wasn't there. Chrono winced, thinking sadly. _Surely, something of that craftsmanship wouldn't be able to just lie there untouched for so long… It's probably been stolen…_ He heard a high-pitched meow behind him, and looked down. A small orange tabby cat circled his legs, meowing. Chrono turned to pick it up, and the cat trotted off, going under a table.

"Hey! Wait a sec, kitty!" He exclaimed. He followed it, bending down on one knee to pick the cat up. But his eyes widened when he saw what else was there. His new sword lay hidden beneath the table, perfectly safe. Chrono picked up his sword, and quickly buckled the sheath to his belt. He scooped up the kitten, smiling as it purred in his hands. Cats loved him, and Chrono loved cats. He petted the cat affectionately.

"Thanks, girl…" He said with a smile. "If it weren't for you, I may have never found it."

Marle smiled.

"I'm glad you found it, Chrono." Marle sighed. "I would have felt awful… I'm the one who bumped into _you_…"

Chrono shook his head.

"It wasn't your fault. And besides, I've got it back now. And…" He smiled down at the cat in his hands. "I think I know where this kitten belongs!" He grinned, carrying the kitten back to the area where he'd met the little girl. She sat sobbing on a large wooden crate. Chrono smiled, kneeling next to her. "Little girl, is this your kitty?"

The girl raised her tear-stained face to Chrono, and her eyes found the kitten. She gasped in happiness.

"You found her! You found her!" She took the kitten and smiled, petting it vigorously. "Oh, thank you mister!" She pulled the light pink ribbon out of her hair and smiled at him. "I don't have any money, but you can have my ribbon, mister. It's a pretty ribbon, please take it."

Chrono smiled as he received the ribbon.

"Wow, thanks… Is it okay if I give it to my friend?"

The little girl nodded.

"Yeah! That's okay! It's your ribbon now, mister!"

Chrono turned to Marle and he smiled.

"Uh, want a ribbon?"

Marle giggled.

"Thank you, Chrono! You're so sweet!" She turned around, and Chrono tied the ribbon in her hair. Marle let out a happy sigh. "You know, Chrono? I think this is the happiest day of my life."

Chrono smiled.

"I think I may have a new number one, too." Marle turned back around to face him, and she smiled.

"So what now?"

Chrono pondered.

"Well, I should probably go say "Hi!" to Lucca. She'll get mad at me if I'm late."

Marle's face dulled a bit.

"Um, Chrono… Lucca's…"

"She's my best friend." Chrono answered the question nonchalantly. "I've known her since I was little. I met her… Before we got our new house." Chrono felt his stomach go cold. He got chills whenever he thought of the circumstances under which he'd met Lucca. He still remembered… That night… He shook the thoughts away, and looked to Marle. Marle was the present, and he should be focusing on that. At least that's what he tried to convince himself. Marle seemed to sense the sudden melancholy mood Chrono had slipped into, and she expertly brought him out of it.

"So, let's go, alright? I wanna go on a ferry ride later!"

"Oh, you've never been? That's odd… Where did you come from?" Chrono was puzzled. Marle laughed.

"That's not important! I just wanna go, today—with you!" She smiled sweetly, and Chrono smiled back. He _really_ liked Marle. Being with her… It seemed to give him meaning. He decided that he would stay in touch with her.

"Okay. We'll go. But after we see Lucca."

"Okay." Marle took his hand, and Chrono felt his heart skip a beat. He snapped himself out of it, and casually led her towards the northernmost area of the square, where there was an open stage—the area that Lucca had claimed for her unveiling. As they passed the final candy vendor before that area, however, Marle stopped.

"Oh yum!" She exclaimed, looking at the sweets. "Chrono, could you wait a second? I wanna get some candy."

Chrono nodded.

"Yeah! Of course I'll wait!" He turned around, examining the candy himself. They had all types. Marle selected a large crystal-blue piece of rock candy after a few moments of deliberation. She smiled at Chrono, and began sucking on the candy.

"Mmm! It's good! Want a bite?"

"Sure!" Chrono held out his hand, and Marle pressed the candy into it, her own warm hand brushing his for a second. Chrono blushed, and took a small bite of the candy. It was pretty good. He handed it back to Marle, who smiled.

"I like rock candy, because it's pretty, and good to eat!" She hummed cheerfully as she began daintily chewing on the candy. Chrono smiled at her again, and led her to the open stage. When he got there, however, he stopped in his tracks. Two huge metal pylons stood in the center of the stage, and there were also two platforms incased in tubes of glass. Everything flashed and glowed brilliantly. There was also an assortment of mechanical devices hooked up to the pylons, making the device look _really_ complicated to Chrono. Taban, Lucca's father stood next to the contraption making a speech.

"And when the Telepod is perfected, even ferry rides will be obsolete! You'll be able to visit relatives in Porre and Chorus without having to walk more than a few feet to your very own pod!" He waved his hands at the crowd—Taban was a sucker for being a showoff. "This device will change life as we know it! And who else is the genius behind this ingenious device? None other than my daughter, Lucca!"

Lucca turned around, her glasses flashing in the sun. Chrono blinked when he saw her. She wore a large contraption on her head that he'd never seen before. It looked like a hat… But it appeared to have a walkie-talkie graphed onto one side of it. She was wearing her good clothes—a tan dress tunic, black pants, and a green shirt—but she also wore her friendship bandanna. Chrono had given it to her years ago, so they'd have a matching piece of clothing. He had a similar bandanna, except his was a little more yellow than hers was. They both wore the bandannas around their necks, and Chrono's mother often commented that the feature made the two look like they were some kind of gang. Lucca's eyes scanned the crowd, and her face lit up when she saw Chrono.

"Chrono!" She hopped down from the platform. "Hey!"

"Hold on, Marle." Chrono said, stepping up to meet his friend. Once Chrono was close enough, Lucca put her hands on her hips and glared at him.

"You're late!" She exclaimed. "You were supposed to come earlier!"

Chrono shrugged.

"_Sorry, _but I had STUFF to do! Did you know that Melchoir only brought two swords?"

Lucca looked at Chrono's grinning face, and then her eyes scanned his figure. When she saw the sword, she let out an excited cry.

"You got it! Wow! I didn't think you'd be able to!"

Chrono smiled.

"Yep! I got a special discount too! Hear that? S-P-E-C-A-I-L!"

Lucca laughed, and Chrono glared at her.

"What?!"

"You just spelt special wrong." Lucca giggled. "You just said that you got a 'Specail' discount."

"Aw, come on! You know what I meant!"

"Yeah, sure. But seriously…" Lucca looked at him over the rims of her glasses. "Can you do me a favor? No one will try the Telepod… Could you?"

Chrono laughed.

"Ha! This is a joke, right?" Chrono smiled at her. "Good one, Lucca."

"No!" Lucca looked at him desperately. "It's not a joke! _Please…  _Please try out the Telepod! I promise—I tested it out myself!"

Chrono raised an eyebrow.

"Why don't I believe that?"

Lucca glared at him.

"Come on, carrot-top!"

"What if I get brain damage, or cancer or something?!"

"You can't get any dumber, Chrono… Honestly. And cancer?! What kind of inventor do you think I am?!"

"The kind…" Chrono started. "Who nearly blew her house up last weekend with that 'special fire-extinguishing gun'? Sheesh."

"Hey!" Lucca exclaimed. "That one's still in development! One day it'll work, and it'll change our world! Besides, I made it for _you_. I know about you and fire…" She trailed off, knowing that she'd nearly crossed the line. The two friends stood in silence for a moment, and Chrono fought off the memories. He shook his head, and stepped onto the Telepod.

"Alright, Lucca. Fire away."

Lucca bowed her head.

"Chrono, I'm sorry…"

Chrono shook his head.

"I know. It's okay." He smiled. "You don't have to treat me like I'm made of glass. I was bein' a wuss. Let's do this."

Lucca nodded.

"Thanks."

Chrono glared at her.

"If I come outta this missing anything…"

"You won't." She started up the machine, then paused. "Gee, at least I don't _think_ so…"

Chrono looked at her horrified.

"What?!" He exclaimed, but suddenly, he was standing on the other pod—feeling very odd. He winced, falling forward. "Owwww…" He glared at Lucca. "You didn't really test that, did you?!"

Lucca laughed nervously.

"No… Remember that guinea pig I used to have…?"

"USED TO HAVE?! YOU COULD HAVE KILLED ME!!!" Chrono stumbled out of the machine, feeling ill. "Aaa… Motion… Sick…" He slumped down against the fence. Marle knelt next to him.

"You alright?" She giggled. "It was really spiffy!"

"Yeah… Spiffy…" Chrono moaned, hanging his head. 

Lucca laughed.

"Who's next?"

The crowd watching didn't seem too enthusiastic about going on the wild ride. But suddenly, Marle piped up.

"I'll do it!"

Chrono looked up at her with surprise. Marle dashed to Lucca, smiling. Chrono got up and stumbled to the two girls. Lucca blinked at Marle.

"Hi. I'm Marle. You're Chrono's friend, Lucca, right? He told me about you."

"Waaaait a second. You're here… WITH HIM?!" Lucca blinked at the two in surprise. "Wow! I didn't think that he could even _talk_ to other girls! Aww… My little Chrono's become a big boy."

Chrono glared at Lucca.

"How do YOU know that I can't get girls to like me!" He stood up, still swaying with dizziness. "I'll have you know… That I'm a babe-magnet! …gahh…" He doubled over and nearly lost his lunch. 

Marle giggled.

"You're so funny, Chrono. Lucca, may I try it?"

Lucca shrugged.

"Sure. I don't have a problem with it. Hop aboard."

Marle smiled, skipping up the steps and onto the platform. Lucca turned to her father.

"Ready, Dad?"

"Ready."

The two of them started up the machine the same way they had for Chrono's short trip. Chrono watched Marle as she stood up there, framed in a silvery light. The transfer was beginning. She smiled, but that smiled suddenly turned to confusion. Her pendant suddenly blazed with blue light, sending a wave of energy out into the crowd. Marle screamed as the sky went dark. Chrono watched her beautiful form waver, and let out a cry.

"MARLE!!!!" He leapt to grab her off of the platform, but his hand passed through hers. Taban suddenly grabbed Chrono about the waist, pulling him away from the platform. "Taban—what are you doing?! Marle—Marle's in trouble… MARLE!!!!!"

"NO!" Taban shouted, glaring down at Chrono. "If you get onto that platform and disappear with her, who KNOWS what will happen!!"

Marle looked at Chrono with tear-filled eyes as her form melted away into shimmering light particles.

"Chrono!!!… … …" her scream resonated through the square as she vanished. A MASSIVE vortex of unruly energy opened, warping the space around it. The light particles from Marle were swept into the vortex, and her body momentarily reappeared. She screamed once more, and was gone. Chrono and the others stood in shock. Taban was quick to herd away the on lookers, and Lucca immediately began checking the telepod for problems. Taban turned to his daughter, and his voice rang out in a yell that made Chrono even more nervous.

"LUCCA!!!!" He bellowed. "What happened to that girl?!"

"I don't know!!!" Lucca was sweating, and she looked pale. She scanned the equipment, and shook her head. "That girl was so familiar too… But… I just don't know what happened!!"

Chrono said nothing, still in shock about what had happened. Beautiful Marle… Everything about her had been unreal. The fact that she had even _talked_ to him shocked him… But she had liked him… Really liked him, despite all of his faults. He had taken her to the exhibit, and now she was gone. It was all his fault… He walked to the pod, and saw her pendant laying there, still sparking. Suddenly, he knew. It wasn't Lucca's machine—at least, it wasn't _entirely_ Lucca's machine.

_This pendant… There's something about it…_ Chrono picked it up, and the energy tingled his fingers. He recalled the brilliant flash that had exploded from the pendant when she had first realized something was wrong. Surely, the pendant was the cause of all this. He turned back to the quarrelling Lucca and Taban, and announced his decision.

"I'm going in after her. Start the machine."

Lucca turned to him, her eyes surprised.

"Chrono, how do you propose to do that?"

Chrono held out Marle's pendant.

"Her pendant…" He said softly. "It flashed when she first started to disappear… I thought that maybe, just maybe, this pendant is what caused it… And if it is, then I have a chance to… Well, save her."

Lucca blinked at him, and Taban walked to Chrono, placing his hand on his shoulder.

"If it works, we may never be able to bring you back… We don't even know if that girl is still alive… You could be going to your death."

Chrono shook his head.

"I don't care. I feel responsible. Don't worry, Mr. Taban… I'm sure I'll find her." He grinned at Lucca. "Besides, I know that Lucca'll always bring me back if I get lost."

Lucca smiled up at him, her eyes filled with tears. Chrono wondered why she was crying.

"You big idiot." She said, despite her tears. "You'd better take care. I'll come in there after you once I figure out what went wrong, okay? I swear… I won't let you get lost."

Chrono smiled.

"Thanks, Lucca."

Lucca waved her hand at him, acknowledging the thanks.

"Just hang onto that pendant, okay? Don't drop it. It may be your only way back."

Chrono nodded, slipping it around his neck. He held the gem tightly in his hand.

"Okay. Fire away."

Lucca sighed, removing her glasses for a moment. She wiped them clean on her tunic, and then looked to her father.

"Dad…" She said softly, replacing her glasses. "Power to full!"

Taban nodded.

"Roger!"

As they performed their system checks, Chrono gazed into the crystalline pendant—the pendant that was very much the same color as his eyes. The pendant that had started this. He smiled, pressing it to his heart. He knew, that no matter what happened, if he could hold onto that pendant, he'd find his way home someday…

_Marle… Don't worry, and don't be scared…_ He thought as the blue light shot around his form. The pendant burned in his hand, but he didn't lose his grip on it. _I'm coming._ The light shot before his eyes, and suddenly, he was within the vortex. Momentarily, he was able to see Lucca, and her father, looking at him with hope-filled eyes. Then, the scene melted away and scattered before his eyes. He was shooting down a tunnel that was infinitely deep, infinitely wide, and infinitely long… Cold wind blasted through his formless body, but somehow… The cold was different. Suddenly, he saw an opening up ahead. The pendant's power burned within the particles of his being as his body reformed again… Then, he experienced a pain so great that it ripped apart his reality… Leaving only darkness in its wake…


	5. Surprise! Welcome to the past! Chrono’s ...

Chapter 3

Surprise! Welcome to the past! Chrono's new dilemma

Slowly… Slowly the world pieced itself back together. First, light. Yes… Chrono could faintly see light radiating down through from the sun… Then, he could see shapes, and he could hear faint noises. Then, finally colors… The sky was so blue… He felt something sharp nudge him, but he was too hurt to pay much attention to it. The poke came again, and this time he could feel something wet and sticky on his side. The next time the poke came; it was accompanied by a voice. A gruff… Animal sounding voice…

"It's dead."

Another voice.

"Do you think it came from the castle?"

"I don't think so." A third voice. "It's just a cub… Or a… What do the humans call them?

"A child. It's a child."

"What do you think killed it?"

"Who knows? Looks like it might have fallen."

"What do you suppose it's holding so hard?" Chrono felt a pair of rough hands pry something out of his grip.

"Looks like a necklace."

"It's pretty. We should give it to master Magus."

"What about the child?"

"Should we take it to Master Ozzie? He could make a good puppet of this one."

"Yes. That's a good idea. Nothing deters those filthy humans than seeing one of their young in our ranks. Good idea."

"Master Magus will have to call his soul back, right?"

"That's right. That's what makes it so much fun—we get to torment the puppet too."

"It has a sword… Are you sure it's not from the castle?"

"Well, maybe it is. Damn, I don't know. Maybe it was in training or something."

"Poke it again. I wanna make _sure_ it's dead. It might be sleeping. I can never tell with humans."

"Alright. I'll tell you what." Chrono felt the sharp point on a saber on his chest. "I'll just run this through its heart. That way, it'll _definitely _be dead."

"Good idea."

Chrono's heart froze. Suddenly, everything came into focus. His eyes felt dry and scratchy, and he realized that he must have been unconscious with them open. He saw three scaly forms above him, looking down at him. One of them held a spear. The tip was bloody. Chrono was suddenly VERY aware of a terrible throbbing pain in his side. He saw one of the creatures reel back suddenly, spear raised. Chrono saw it with a second to spare. He rolled out of the way, and struggled weakly to his feet as the spear hit the empty ground where he had laid only a second before. One of the creatures let out a horrified cry.

"It's ALIVE!!!!"

"Oooohh…" Chrono winced, gripping his side. His vision blurred a bit, but for some reason, his eyes focused in on the ground around him. There was _a lot_ of blood. He winced, looking around. He was confused. Where was he?! Why wasn't he home?! He couldn't remember… He couldn't remember anything… And then he saw one of the creatures holding a small cerulean pendant… A crystalline gem held by a shining golden clasp…

And it all came rushing back. Everything.

_Marle!!_

He glared at the creatures, drawing his sword.

"What do you think you're doing?!" Chrono demanded, despite the pain in his side. "Drop that pendant! It isn't yours!"

"My, my…" One of the creatures stepped into the light, and Chrono blinked at it with surprise… The creature was covered with murky blue scales, all which sloped upwards gently to form a strange lump on the creature's head. It stood only three feet tall, but was somehow frightening in its own way. It wore aged leather armor, intermixed with bits of rust edged metal guards. It's eyes were the part that caught Chrono's attention, however. They were huge, almost bug-like, seeming to reach out of the creature's head towards him. Those eyes swam with red hatred, cold and hateful, Chrono could see his reflection on those huge red domes, framed by a crimson the same color as his blood. The creature's mouth was full of sharp jagged teeth, each easily as sharp as its' spearhead. It had magical runes carved into its armor, wards against the physical strength of humans. This was an imp. Chrono had only seen one once, at the ferry station, but it hadn't been like _this…_ The imp he had seen was the same size, but there was something different… Perhaps bloodlust had caused this simple imp to look less like a Mystic, and more like a demon. The creature grinned a demented grin with its jagged teeth, taking another step forward. The point of its spear caught the sunlight from above, causing Chrono to wince. It sneered at him in its airy, voice, almost hissing. "Why don't you go back to sleep? When you wake up, you'll be far more useful."

The second creature advanced as well, followed by the third. They were all terrifying to the injured Chrono, all of them carrying identical spears.

"Yes, why don't you." The second one urged, licking its reptilian lips. "You're very unique. I've never seen a human like you before."

The first continued to grin, and Chrono began to feel even more nervous. He could feel dread crawling into his mind, filling him with cold horrible fear.

"You'll be a very pretty puppet—so please, lie down and die so we don't have to ruin you." The first imp said it simply, as thought it were something Chrono would actually consider doing. "Master Ozzie will really enjoy a puppet as pretty as you are."

Chrono blinked, the cold horror in his mind giving way to a pressing annoyance. What were these Mystics doing, anyway? If they hurt him, then Guardia would wage war against Medina, and he _knew_ that they _had_ to know that.

"What do you mean, _puppet?!" _He exclaimed, narrowing his eyes. "And do you want to start a war again?! You aren't allowed to hurt humans! Especially here in Guardia, of all places!"

"You must have hit your head." Said the first imp, seeming surprised. "That's sad. You've forgotten, haven't you? We _are_ at war. You belong to us now."

The second nodded, smiling crookedly.

"Forget about ever seeing humans again, child." It said simply. "You're going to go to sleep here for just a little while… And then when you wake up…" The creature laughed, sounding crazed. Chrono backed away instinctively, the horror returning to him. "…you'll be Master Ozzie's puppet!" The creature finished with a cruel laugh.

The third leapt up and down, cackling as well.

"You'll fight the humans for us!" It exclaimed. "You'll help us paint Guardia castle red with the blood of your brothers!"

Chrono blinked, trying to ignore the fact that they were all looking at him with that bloodlust again. He couldn't ignore the last comment, however.

_"What?!"_ He shook his head in disbelief, realizing just how far away from home that portal had taken him. He glared at the imps, again feeling annoyed. He wouldn't let them psyche him out. "Look, I don't know where I've ended up, but if you don't shut up and drop that pendant, I'll—" He stopped short when he saw one of the imps leaping towards him, brandishing the spear with great skill. Chrono tried to dodge, but the imp was faster. It plunged the spear into Chrono's back, sending the boy stumbling to the ground. Chrono coughed, trying to fight the pain. His vision flashed red. He could feel the blood running down his back, and when he looked back at the imp, he saw that the spearhead had broken off. Chrono realized that it was jammed in his upper back, but he made no effort to remove it. He struggled to get to his feet, stumbling weakly. Chrono's eyes watered, and he looked at the imps horrified, feeling dizzy with pain.

"Poor little creature." The imp said mockingly, walking up to Chrono. The second and third joined it, circling him like a pair of vultures.

"Yes, poor thing." The third said cruelly. It grinned at him, jabbing him in the leg with its spear. "You're just going to lose so much blood that you'll _have_ to sleep."

"Don't you feel tired, little child?" The second said with a snicker. "Don't you want to sleep?"

Chrono bowed his head, feeling sick and even dizzier. He looked back to the imps, his vision blurring badly. The imps laughed at him as he stumbled back again, struggling to bring his sword up. He tried to focus on the imps, tried hold his sword steady, but it was no use. He felt thirsty and tired. Suddenly, Chrono realized something with cold dread.

He was going to die. He knew it now, and he felt his eyes water again at the thought. 

His first real fight, and he was going to die.

His anger began to build as the realization hit him. His throat felt hot as he burned with a quickly growing rage. He shook his head, struggling to focus despite the pain.

_No…_ He thought, fighting his fear and fatigue. _NO! I'm going to save Marle! I'm going to go HOME! I'm not going to die to a couple of imps in some forest!!!_ He glared at the creatures, feeling a tingling sensation in his hands. As he stared at the imp with the pendant, he felt his rage grow sharper and sharper, until finally… 

It exploded. Chrono let out a shout, leaping at his adversaries with surprising speed. He spun around, swinging his sword around him like a bladed top, until finally, his sword bit into the imps. He kept spinning, and the imps screamed as his blade ravaged them. Finally, Chrono could spin no longer, and he stumbled back, landing on his backside. He dropped his sword and sat there, watching as the imps skin turn gray, just before the wind blew past, reducing them to nothingness. He sat there, feeling cold all over, and feared that he may still die. He forced himself to stand, and he limped to where Marle's pendant had fallen. He picked it up, and slipped it around his neck, concealing the gem underneath his tunic. He also found that the imps had dropped their pouches, and he discovered several gold pieces within. He then retrieved his sword and limped off towards the sound of running water.

He reached the river, standing there exhausted. A small wooden bridge was the only passage across the rapids, something that didn't really encourage Chrono to cross. He felt tired, but knew he couldn't stay where he was—after all, who knew how many more monsters were wandering about. He took a deep breath, placing one of his feet onto the bridge, to check its dependability. It shook a little, and Chrono groaned unhappily.

"As if things weren't bad enough…" He said mournfully. Chrono braced himself on the bridge, before sprinting across with a shout, struggling not to fall as the bridge buckled and swayed. Suddenly, his feet were hitting grass, and he stopped, gasping in the cool sunlight. He felt the urge to laugh, and gave into it, as he looked back at the unsteady bridge. He let out a long sigh, feeling relief wash over him.

"Phew…" He breathed out, smiling weakly at his success. "I did it." He let out a laugh, leaping up. "I did it—Ooh!" He winced, gripping his side unhappily. His side burned fiercely, and was smeared by blood. Chrono sighed, forcing himself to look away. It was too painful to think about. 

The mountains were actually rather peaceful. A few younger imps played at the base with a roly-poly, but other than that, there were few monsters. The river cascaded down the steep rocks, spilling out into a large clear pool at the base of the mountain. The mountain was dotted by giant hemlocks and cedar trees, and at the base maple trees were gathered in clusters, framing a path down towards what Chrono knew as Truce village. The only thing that was odd to him was that he'd never seen this section of the mountains… In fact, he was almost positive that this area was within Leene Square, but that couldn't be true… The Square was gone. 

Chrono avoided the bug-eyed imps, not wanting to initiate another battle. Besides—he felt guilty about attacking children—even if they were imps. He slipped around the large maple trees, stopping to rest many times among the leaves. He was exhausted, and without any healing salves. But he was making progress, however slow that progress may have been. 

When he finally broke out of the trees, he found himself standing in a dream. A misty, unbelievable scene lay in front of him, sloping gently down to the sea. His mouth hung open in disbelief, as he stood there, numb in disbelief. It wasn't so much what was there; it was more of what _wasn't _there.

The Square was gone. The Village Truce was gone. 

Everything he knew was just _gone._

He stood there for a moment, trying to convince himself to believe what he was seeing. The dirt roads were no longer neatly kept, no, they had fallen into disrepair, becoming muddy in the damp weather. The houses were constructed from wood, not brick, and even the wood looked worn. It was unpainted and not polished, and the roofs of these seemed to be made of wood and bark, instead of tile or tar shingles. The windows were unframed, and the glass looked smoky and dirty, as though no one had bothered to clean it. He blinked about him at the clusters of houses. They horseshoed around the same area that Truce had, but there was one thing Chrono knew for certain as he stood there shivering in the fog…

This was not Truce.

He decided that since this seemed to be _positioned_ the same as his village had, perhaps maybe the stores were still in the same area. He headed towards what in his village had always been the general store, and was delighted to see that this _was_ in fact a store. He sighed, placing his pale hand on the murky brass doorknob. He could see his face somewhat reflected in it, and he shivered, feeling odd. It was a weird feeling of deja'vu… He sighed unhappily, looking at his hands. They were uncomfortably cold. Chrono shook his head, turning the knob and pushing the heavy oak door open.

The store was large but cluttered, packed with bottles of medicines and preserves, bags of wheat, sugar, and flour, as well as an assortment of weapons. Chrono stared bug-eyed at those weapons—all of them seemed too clunky for him to use. A large man stood talking to the shopkeeper, a grizzled old timer. Both of them ignored Chrono at first. The boy stumbled up to the counter, dropping what cold he had in his possession there.

"Where do you keep…" He choked unhappily. "…the tonics…"

The shopkeeper turned from his other customer to look at Chrono. His eyes opened wide when he beheld the boy, standing beaten and bloody there in front of the counter. 

"Good God!" He exclaimed. The other customer turned to look at Chrono, also seeming shocked.

"What in the world were you attacked by?!"

Chrono felt a little embarrassed to say "imps", so he decided to spice it up, just a bit.

"Mystics." He groaned unhappily. "Ambushed me in the forest…"

The shopkeeper's eyes suddenly filled with understanding. He pointed behind Chrono to a shelf.

"Tonics're up there." He said. "They're 50 each… But you can have one on the house, considering how badly hurt you are. Help 'im, Ras."

The other man nodded, walking to the shelf to retrieve a tonic. He gave it to Chrono, who swiftly downed the entire bottle.

Tonics were a strange thing. They, along with the more effective potions, were a brilliant concoction that had been used for millennia, and no one knew exactly how they had been discovered. They had an amazing ability to speed one's recovery, not just from poisons and sickness, but for cuts and scrapes, and in Chrono's case, one hell of a stab wound. They were only so useful though, and couldn't heal the worst of wounds. Luckily, Chrono's wounds were far from impossible to mend, and the tonic went to work.

He bought a few more from the shop, and the shopkeeper gave him a satchel to keep them in. Chrono thanked the man for his generosity. He then sighed, turning towards the door. He felt sleepy—lethargic almost. He looked back at the innkeeper, and decided to ask a simple question.

"Is there an inn around here?"

The man nodded.

"Aye." He said, pointing a gnarled hand at the door. "Just south of here, and to the east. You can't miss it. It's a big two-story building."

Chrono smiled gratefully.

"Thank you."

He turned to leave, but was startled when the shopkeeper suddenly blurted out a question.

"Where're you from, boy?"

It was a simple question. But it had no simple answer. Chrono had begun to suspect that he was very far away from home, yet at the same time not so far away, so he feared that answering "Truce" may get him in trouble. He decided to take his chances with Porre, since it was far away.

"Porre." He was lying through his teeth, but hey, his _father_ had come from Porre. Porre blood flowed through his veins! He decided to add to his answer to make it more plausible. "It's my first time in town."

The man accepted these answers, bowing his head in apology.

"I'm sorry that it isn't safer up here." He said mournfully. "When I see refugees get beaten up by the Mystics it's even worse. I can't imagine what it must be like in Porre."

"It's hell." Chrono said simply. "But don't blame yourselves, I just got caught off guard." He smiled at the men, waving. "I'm off now. Thanks for the help!"

The two men nodded, waving. Chrono sighed, opening the door, stepping out into the chilly air. He stopped, turning back into the room. He looked into his pouch to see a few extra G within. He smiled at the shopkeeper.

"You got any gloves?" He asked, holding up his pale hands. "It's freezing out there."

The shopkeeper nodded, gesturing towards a shelf in the back of the store. Chrono walked to it, picking up a pair of black leather gloves. He walked to the shopkeeper, handing him the appropriate amount of money. After paying, the boy gratefully slipped the gloves on, happy to have some protection for his hands. He again waved to the shopkeeper, and then headed outside on his way to the inn. 

It _was_ a big building. A big, but plain building. Like the rest, it had been built solidly, but crudely, with no polish or paint. A sign hung over the door, with the word _GUARDIA PUB AND INN_ written in ornate calligraphy, something that clashed greatly with the worn wooden structure. Chrono pushed the heavy doors open, stepping into a warm happy room that smelled of pine smoke and liquor.

The room was actually two rooms, divided only by the sheer fact that half the room was raised a few feet higher than the rest on a wooden deck. The raised portion of the room was the bar, where large muscled men clanked beer glasses, their baritone voices creating a constant droning only overpowered by the occasional snap from the fireplace. The fireplace sat in the lower room, and it was a spectacular thing. All stone and metal—Chrono had never seen such an old-fashioned fireplace. It glowed with a warm inviting fire, providing most of the rooms' light. A maid was in this lower room, leaning tiredly on an oak counter. She, like everyone else Chrono had encountered, wore old-fashioned clothes, almost like the kinds Chrono had seen at a Renaissance fair as a child. Her hair was a deep bluish violet, parted gently to the side. She didn't look very concerned with her job at the moment—she was falling asleep! Chrono smiled at her, walking to the oak counter.

"Hi." He said as cheerfully as he could, fighting his exhaustion (not to mention the pain from his wounds). The girl looked up at him, smiling with surprising peppiness.

"Hello there! Will you be staying with us?" She smiled at him broadly, and Chrono smiled.

"Yeah. How much is it?"

"It's five gold per night." The girl replied. "Paid only in advance, of course."

"Of course." Chrono said with a grin. He retrieved his pouch, handing her five gold. He realized that he had very few gold pieces left, but decided not to say anything. The maid smiled at him politely.

"The room is right up those stairs to your left." She giggled, winking at him. "Enjoy your stay!"

Chrono nodded to her, smiling back.

"Thanks." He replied, turning to the stairs. He trudged up them, feeling exhausted. His side still hurt badly. He finally reached the top of the stairs, where he found himself in a comfortable looking room. There were three beds, each of them looking inviting. Chrono crossed the floor, kicking off his boots. He sat down onto one of the beds, finding it wonderfully fluffy. He sighed, opening his satchel to retrieve another tonic. He quickly downed it, wincing at the bad taste. But he felt a little better.

Chrono yawned, pulling his headband and gloves off. He quickly climbed under the soft down comforter, sinking into his fluffy pillow. He felt warm and sleepy, but this time he had no fears of falling asleep. He succumbed to the sleep, falling into an endless void of warm darkness, filled with the soft light of distant dreams…

****************

When Chrono finally came to, it was much later. He didn't realize at first, but nearly a day had passed while he'd slept. He yawned, stretching gingerly. He was still a bit sore, but his wounds had healed nicely thanks to the tonics. 

He replaced his gloves and headband, swinging his legs onto the floor. He stood up, stepping into his boots. The room was vacant aside from himself. He sighed, picking up the rest of his belongings before heading back downstairs.

It was louder than it had been before. Chrono wondered what the commotion had been caused by. He blinked at the bar, which was now occupied by a strangely dressed man in goggles, as well as the usual drunkards. The man was quite a sight—dressed in mix-matched clothes, decked out with ropes and grapples, maps, bottles—even a compass around his neck. The goggles were a finishing touch on all of this, casting an oddly shaped shadow over the stubbly, keen-eyed face beneath. Chrono blinked at him, approaching slowly, curiously. The strange man noticed him, and let out a laugh.

"Well hey! Look at you!" He chuckled loudly, gesturing for Chrono to approach. "That hair's just great." He said with another chuckle. Chrono wasn't sure if this man was making fun of him or not. But he came closer none the less, and the man cast a cheerful grin up at the boy.

"Don't be shy, red! Sit down! Have a beer!"

Now, Chrono had been called a lot of things because of his hair, but "Red" surprisingly wasn't one of them. He plopped down onto one of the stools, smiling at the man.

 "Hi." Chrono introduced himself. "I'm Chrono."

"Red's better." The man remarked. "I'm Toma. Y'know, the Great Adventurer!"

Chrono nodded slowly, feeling a little deja'vu. He was sure he'd heard that name at school. Toma smiled at Chrono, his sharp brown eyes glinting out from beneath the shadow of his goggles.

"Anyway, Red, could you buy me a drink?" He laughed, turning his pants pockets inside out. "I'm a bit short…"

Chrono hesitated, looking at Toma. He had about fifty places he could have hidden gold, but his mother had always tried to get him go be polite. Chrono nodded, counting his gold. He had enough for Toma, but he'd be broke afterwards.

"Sure." He said, holding the gold out towards the bartender. He hesitated again, but then gained the bravery to ask. "Uh, can I have a mug of beer?" 

The bartender nodded, and poured it swiftly. He smiled down at Chrono.

"You need to learn to ask like a man, carrot-top."

There was a name Chrono knew. Chrono smiled.

"Oh-okay." He handed the glass to Toma, who downed it in a few gulps.

"Ah. That hit the spot. Thanks, Red!" Toma grinned. "That's just what I need after a hard day."

The bartender chuckled.

"Where were you this time, Toma?"

Toma sighed, looking tired.

"The Cathedral out west." He looked into his beer mug, studying the dying foam. "I got a tip that there were secret passages inside of it."

"What'd you find?" Chrono was immensely curious. "Some sort of treasure?"

Toma let out a sarcastic laugh.

"What I found was a bunch of filthy monsters!" He exclaimed. "I didn't even get past the front hall! I managed to chase them away, but I didn't have the supplies to go in any deeper." He let out a long breath, looking annoyed. "I swear. Those Mystics have no understanding of honest people like me. At least they found the Queen. That's something I can be happy about." 

The barkeeper nodded happily.

"It's so relieving to hear good news for once."

Chrono blinked, confused. Toma seemed to see this, and he turned to Chrono, speaking quietly.

"You don't seem to be from around here."

Chrono shook his head, frowning.

"No, I'm not. I'm a little lost, Toma."

Toma sighed, standing up. He smiled at Chrono, picking up a travel pack laying next to his chair.

"Well…" Toma remarked, never ceasing to smile. "Sometimes, the best place to look when you're lost is the Palace Guardia. You might wanna stop over there." He gave thumbs up, winking. "'Till next time. Watch yourself, Red."

Chrono nodded.

"You too. Thanks." He winced, an uncomfortable though entering his mind. _Guardia Palace… It it's here, then why is Truce so different?! What—have I traveled time or something?!_

Toma waved to him, bringing Chrono out of his thoughts. Chrono waved back, and Toma exited the inn. Chrono sighed, hopping out of the chair. The barkeep cleared his throat.

"You know," The barkeep commented, rubbing his chin. "with hair like that, the palace guards'll probably think YOU'RE  a mystic."

Chrono blinked at him, tugging on one of the locks of his hair.

"But my hair's always like this." He frowned. "My Mom says it gives me character… And besides, it LITERALLY won't stay down!" He shrugged. "Anyway, I need to get going. Bye!" He turned and tromped down the steps, and out the door of the inn.

 It was mistier out today then it had been the day before. Chrono shivered, but started off in the direction he _knew _the palace had to be—after all, if it wasn't there, then he really _was _in trouble. He just hoped that he could get home. He wasn't really sure what he'd be able to find out at the palace, but for some reason, his heart told him to go there. Besides, they'd found the Queen up in Truce Canyon, so was it far-fetched to say that they may have found Marle too? He just hoped so.

Chrono trooped along through the long grasses, getting passed every so often by a horseman, or some soldiers. No matter who it was, though, they _stared_. Not that he blamed them. He knew that his haircut was a bit loud. That, and his clothing was a little brighter than theirs. 

Guardia Forest loomed in the distance, growing ever larger as he descended one hill and ascended another one. Closer and closer it got, and the closer it got, the more foreboding it seemed. It was different than it was back home… He'd never gotten goose bumps when looking at _his_ forest before. When he finally reached the first line of trees, he stopped in his tracks, getting an uncomfortable chill. He looked around carefully, seeing nothing. Blue eyes wide, Chrono gave into the inevitable and cautiously entered the forest.

The forest was of the pine variety, full of nearly black goliaths that stopped most of the sunlight from reaching the forest floor. The paths were well worn, but at the same time were rugged, and they twisted confusingly among the brush and trees. As Chrono slowly progressed through the eerie forest, he could hear the occasional rustle of leaves… He kept walking, very aware of the sound of his own heart thumping in his chest. Finally, just as Chrono though he may go crazy from the anticipation, a creature suddenly exploded from the bushes, leaping at him. But Chrono wasn't going to be caught off guard again. He quickly drew his sword, swinging it down on the monster as it ripped at him with its claws. He managed to kill the beast without sustaining much of an injury, and this fact made him feel much better. He continued through the forest, making far better time. He was able to avoid any more conflicts with monsters, and it was clean sailing to the palace. It was there all right—something that relieved him. But there _was _something different. Part of it was _missing_. The large dungeon wing that had been part of the palace in _his_ Guardia was gone here. He smiled nonetheless, hoping that he'd have some luck finding Marle.

He had no idea that finding _Marle_ would soon be the least of his worries…


End file.
